Drawing instrument



Feb. 22, 1966 c, w, ROSE 3,235,969

DRAWING INSTRUMENT Filed July 13, 1964 INVENTOR.

llulllllllllll 'IIIIIIIIIIIIILVII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA 12 16 M BY 2' Attorney United States Patent 3,235,969 DRAWING INSTRUMENT Chester W. Rose, 1301 St. Paul St., Denver, Colo. Filed July 13, 1964, Ser. No. 384,026 4 Claims. (Cl. 33-174) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 298,858 filed July 31, 1963 for Drawing Instrument, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a novel and improved drawing instrument and more particularly to a drawing instrument adapted for use in drawing broken or dotted lines.

Various types of drawing guides have been devised in the past for the purpose of drawing broken or dotted lines. It general, however, these have consisted of more or less rigid members or attachments which either have been difiicult to handle and manipulate, relatively ineffective in guiding the drawing implement over the drawing surface, or could not be conveniently used with other drawing instruments.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved drawing instrument for drawing broken or dotted lines and which can be easily manipulated with great speed and accuracy.

It is another object of the present invention to provide for a lightweight, inexpensive drawing instrument for drawing broken or dotted lines in which the instrument can be utilized independently in direct contact with the drawing surface free from and unsupported by any straight-edge or holding device; or which further can be conveniently positioned for use with other drawing instruments or appliances.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a thin, laminated drawing instrument containing parallel openings or slots for the purpose of guiding the point of the drawing implement across the drawing surface with a minimum of up and down motion; and wherein the instrument can be formed in various lengths and configurations and it is not limited in use to any particular length.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a laminated drawing instrument of transparent material incorporating a novel and improved guide strip which is so constructed and arranged as to minimize smearing or smudging of ink and which will effectively guide a drawing implement across a series of openings or slots in a rapid and dependable manner.

In accordance with the present invention, there has been devised an inexpensive, featherweight, relatively thin drawing instrument in ribbon-like laminated form which is provided with a guide strip over the lower portion of a series of spaced openings or slots for the purpose of guiding an implement in drawing broken or dotted lines. The instrument of the present invention can be used independently or in association with other instruments for drawing dotted lines of any desired spacing and length. Moreover, most desirably the laminated bottom tape and guide strip are of flexible form so that the instrument can be conveniently wound lengthwise in rolled, relatively long lengths to form a supply source from which new stock may be cut to replace soiled or worn tape and from which various lengths of tape can be supplied for most convenient use in rapidly drawing broken or dotted lines. Moreover, the tape and guide strip are preferably formed of a single unitary length of material in which the guide strip is folded over the punched parallel patterns to form a straight-edge guide coextensive with the tape and extending the full length thereof for advancement of the drawing implement along the drawing surface with the spacing and opening size controlling the spacing and relative length of the broken or dotted lines.

The above and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating the relative disposition and arrangement between the parts comprising the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizonal cross-sectional view of the preferred form of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is another perspective view of the preferred form of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a horizonal cross-sectional view of a modified form of the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, there is shown by way of illustrative example in FIGURES 1 to 3 a drawing instrument consisting of a thin, flexible ribbon-like strip or tape 1 having a series of limited openings or slots 2 suitably punched or otherwise formed along the length of the tape adjacent and parallel to leading edge 3. Trailing edge 3 similarly extends in lengthwise parallel relation to the openings 2 as well as the leading edge 3. A top correspondingly thin, flexible, ribbon-like strip or tape in the form of a guide strip 4 is adhesively secured or otherwise applied to the top surface of the tape 1 with its trailing edge 5 aligned with the trailing edge 3 of the tape and with leading edge 6 overlapping the rearward portions of the openings 2. In this relation, the leading edge 6 will be properly aligned with the leading edge 3 so as to define an accurate guide for the point of a suitable drawing instrument represented at 10 in FIGURES 2 and 3.

Preferably, the tapes 1 and 4 are composed of a flexible transparent material such as vinyl acetate or cellulose acetate on the order of 0.005 to 0.0075 inch in thickness to assure a minimum of up and down motion of the drawing pencil 10. Furthermore, as shown in the preferred form, the openings 2 are illustrated as being of generally rectangular shape spaced equal distances apart. However, it will be apparent that the spacing and configuration of the openings may be suitably varied according to intended application and use.

As best seen from FIGURES 2 and 3, the leading guide edge 6 of the tape 4 is disposed in overlapping relation to the openings and will accurately guide the point of the drawing implement 10 across the openings in parallel with the leading edge 3 and trailing edge 3 of the bottom tape 1. Accordingly, the instrument may be conveniently laced along the leading edge of another drawing instrument such as a T square to properly align the guide edge for drawing broken lines either horizontally, vertically, or at various different angles. In this connection, it will be noted that the tape is in direct contact with the drawing surface; and by combining a pair of flexible, correspondingly thin ribbon-like strips together in superimposed mutually reinforcing relation will provide a close, accurate guide for the drawing implement against the drawing surface so as to minimize parallax and so as not to block any portion of the drawing surface from view. Thus, the drawing instrument can be conveniently and readily manipulated for rapidly drawing extended broken or dotted lines both with accuracy and uniformity throughout.

In the modified form of invention shown in FIGURE 4, drawing instrument 12 is defined by a single ribbonlike strip prefolded to form a bottom strip 14, again provided with a series of openings or slots 15 formed along the length of the bottom strip parallel to the leading edge 16. Rearwardly of the openings, the ribbonlike strip is first folded partially or doubled over the bottom tape to form a trailing edge 17; then is folded back upon itself to form a leading edge 18 extending the full length of the bottom tape and overlapping the rearward portions of the openings parallel both to the leading edge 16 of the bottom strip and the folded trailing edge 17 It will be apparent that the ribbon-like strip may merely be folded once to form the leading guide edge overlapping the openings for the purpose of guiding the drawing implement, although it is preferred to double fold the strip in order to form the rounded guide edge 18 as described since in this manner the outer free end portion 20 can be held down or grasped to hold the guiding edge closely against the top surface of the bottom tape. If desired, the first folded portion may be dielectrically sealed or otherwise secured to the top surface of the bottom tape, although the leading folded edge 18 can be held in place by hand without special securing means. In this relation, in forming the strips of correspondingly thin flexible material, when the top guide strip is folded over the bottom strip, the top and bottom strips will reinforce or support one another along the trailing portion of the instrument.

In accordance with the present invention, the drawing instrument illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3 and FIGURE 4 may be conveniently supplied in roll form and in relatively long lengths to form a supply source from which desired lengths may be cut or severed to replace used tape as it becomes worn. Accordingly, the instruments of the present invention are highly simplified in construction and inexpensive to manufacture while permitting accurate alignment for drawing broken or dotted lines, using the instrument either independently or in association with other drawing instruments. It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the relative disposition and arrangement between parts of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A drawing instrument for drawing broken lines comprising a first ribbon-like strip having a series of openings formed in predetermined spaced relation along the length thereof, and a second ribbon-like strip coextensive with said first strip and being secured in superimposed relation on said first strip, said second ribbonlike strip having a folddefining a longitudinal, folded guide edge partially overlapping the openings along the length of said first strip.

2. A drawing instrument for drawing broken lines comprising a pair of coextensive, correspondingly thin, ribbon-like strips composed of flexible material and being secured together in superimposed mutually reinforcing relation, one of said strips having a series of openings formed in predetermined spaced relation along the length thereof and the other of said strips being secured to said one strip along one side of said one strip, said other strip terminating in a longitudinal guide edge partially overlapping the openings and extending the length of said one strip. 7

3. A drawing instrument for drawing broken lines comprising in combination an elongated thin, flat transparent sheet member having a series of spaced parallel openings extending the length thereof, and a lengthwise portion of said member being folded to provide a guide edge partially overlapping the openings in said sheet member for guiding a drawing implement therealong.

4. A drawing instrument according to claim 3, said lengthwise portion having a first'fold defining the trailing edge of said sheet member and a second fold defining a rounded guide edge overlapping the openings in said sheet member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,313 2/1919 Berkoif 33-39 1,662,882 3/1928 Clark 3339 2,303,676 12/1942 Bixby A 33-174 FOREIGN PATENTS 739,928 '1 l/ 1932 France.

ISAAC LISANN, Primary Examiner, 

1. A DRAWING INSTRUMENT FOR DRAWING BROKEN LINES COMPRISING A FIRST RIBBON-LIKE STRIP HAVING A SERIES OF OPENINGS FORMED IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF, AND A SECOND RIBBON-LIKE STRIP COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID FIRST STRIP AND BEING SECURED IN SUPERIMPOSED RELATION ON SAID FIRST STRIP, SAID SECOND RIBBONLIKE STRIP HAVING A FOLD DEFINING A LONGITUDINAL, FOLDED GUIDE EDGE PARTIALLY OVERLAPPING THE OPENINGS ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID FIRST STRIP. 